Jojoushi
by Marie Hawkins
Summary: Songfic inspired by L'arc-En-Ciel. Seasons change but feelings don't. Xingke\Tianzi. Fourshot, Quadshot, whatever you wanna call it.
1. Summer

**Summer**

_The season changes color, how many times have we changed color with it?  
>My feelings quiver like an unwilted flower<br>And I think of you_

She'd wanted to see the world. That's really all she had ever asked of him. Everything else, he did of his own free will, and he was more than happy to do so.

Now that the world was a gentler, peaceful place, Xingke was comfortable letting Tianzi travel. He'd never seen her so happy. She had been a prisoner in her own palace, having experienced little of the outside world. Here, amongst the open fields and vibrant flowers, she looked even more delicate, yet she looked like she belonged. Her gentle beauty matched that of her surroundings.

Upon hearing what a picnic was, Tianzi had insisted they had one. That was the real reason they were out in the field. Her wish was Xinge's command. It always had been.

They were resting their backs against the soft picnic blanket, gazing up at the sky. There was a soft breeze playing across their faces and the sun's warmth was pleasant. In short, it was nothing but a perfect day.

"Oh," Tianzi cried out happily. With one hand she pointed into the vast blue sky, and gently placed the other in Xingke's hand, grabbing his attention. "That one looks like a flower," she said, referring to one of the only clouds in the sky. Cloud watching was a hobby she had developed in the past few minutes. In all honesty, however, Xingke was paying more attention to the wonderful burning sensation in his hand. Tianzi's hand was small and soft and gentle, yet there seemed to be a powerful energy emanating from it, transferring its power to Xingke's.

"And there's a rabbit," she said, pointing to another cloud and laughing lightly. Briefly, her fingers tensed with excitement, but quickly relaxed. Xingke smiled to himself, closing his eyes with satisfaction. If he had his way, he would stay in this moment for eternity. He knew he would never tire of moments like this. They were too perfect, too precious.

"Hey," Tianzi said. He could feel her hand leaving his. His eyes snapped open. She was sitting up and trying to suppress a smile. "You fell asleep, Xingke," she tried to sound offended, but he could still hear the smile in her voice.

"No, I was just-" Xingke started to defend himself, but stopped. He couldn't voice his thoughts aloud to Tianzi. It was improper. Not only was he eleven years her elder, he was also lower in station. There had been so many times he'd wanted to tell her how he felt, but he couldn't. It was odd. His sickness put so many things into perspective. The first and foremost being; you never know how much time you have left. Because he never knew when he would be forced to leave her side, Xingke felt compelled to confess to Tianzi. But because he loved her and had a sense of right and wrong, he kept the truth from her.

"Thinking," he ended. "I was only thinking."

"With your eyes closed?" she asked. She laid back down again, this time, resting her head on Xingke's chest and draping his arm across her stomach. "What were you thinking about?" She asked innocently.

"I was thinking about how I could spend all of my days this way," he admitted. He found it pointless to try and hide that fact from Tianzi. Besides, for some reason, his brain had stopped functioning as logically as it had seconds before. This could be attributed to the fact that Tianzi's touch made it hard for him to breathe and made his heart beat faster than he thought possible.

"What, having a picnic?" she asked, turning to glance at him. Her large scarlet eyes were as sweet as ever.

"No," he said, continuing softly, "With you." Tianzi's pale cheeks flushed a slight pink, but her face broke out into a smile.

"That's funny," she said, turning her attention back up to the sky. "I was thinking the same thing."

_The love to you is alive in me. Woah- every day for love.  
>You are a side of me, woah- every day<em>.


	2. Fall

**Fall:**

_The words that we sing make a pleasant melody  
>All I need is you by my side…<em>

Tianzi had always loved the intricate colors of the leaves. They were so vibrant right before death. It was sad, but at the same time, strangely poetic. She enjoyed looking at these leaves up close, especially enjoying the thrill of climbing a tree.

She'd never been allowed to climb a tree before, but she'd convinced Xingke to help her. He was hesitant at first, always worried about her safety, but in the end he gave in. There they sat, up in the tree branches, seemingly hidden from the world.

She glanced over and Xingke, smiling. She'd never had many people she considered to be her friends, and certainly even fewer people she considered closer than that. She wasn't really sure what she'd call her relationship with Xingke. She loved him, she knew that. But how could someone like him return those feelings? He was several years her elder, anyway. Such feelings on his part, as well as hers, would be deemed inappropriate. Yet, Tianzi couldn't just _ignore_ them, though she tried her hardest.

Tianzi leaned forward, forgetting for a moment how high she was above the ground. Briefly, she lost her balance, but was caught in the strong arms of Xingke. He pulled her closer to him, keeping her enveloped in his arms to prevent another fall.

"You must remember to be careful, Empress," he said, flashing a dazzling smile. Tianzi could feel her cheeks blaze with heat despite the cool, crisp breeze caressing her face. She quickly looked down at her lap.

"I'm sorry, Xingke," she said softly. He almost laughed.

"There's no need to apologize, Empress," he said, "It's easy to forget where you are when you're surrounded by beauty."

Tianzi's cheeks blushed a deeper shade of red. She was indeed surrounded by beauty. The leaves were not the only beautiful things that surrounded her. Xingke was just as vibrant and colorful as anything. In a way, he reminded her of the leaves. He was full of color, character, and life, but his time was short. He always tried to hide his sickness from Tianzi, playing it down and making it seem like no big deal. But Tianzi knew what was going on. She knew that it would someday tear him from her side. That was why she wished her feelings weren't so improper. That she somehow had the courage to tell him just how much he meant to her.

She snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Maybe someday she would find that courage. If she didn't, Xingke would slip away from her. She couldn't bear that thought. She tried to muster up the courage within herself to say _something_, though she was well aware she had never been gifted with words. She felt Xingke's fingers softly stroke her hair, the way he did when she couldn't sleep. It was comforting, but made her courage waver slightly. Tianzi, who hadn't been tired moments before, was suddenly becoming overtaken by weariness.

"Xingke," she said, groggily. She wished she could speak louder.

"Hmm?" he asked softly, sensing the child was almost asleep. She sighed, and subconsciously nuzzled closer to Xingke's chest.

"Xingke, I love you," she said. Or at least, that's what she thought she said. Perhaps she only dreamed she said it. Still, that was enough for now. She succumbed to the deep, soothing intoxication of sleep, completely forgetting everything else.

Xingke smiled to himself, resting his head against the tree trunk.

_If this is a dream, then I don't care…_

_The love to you is alive in me. Woah- every day for love.  
>You are a side of me, woah- every day<em>.


	3. Winter

_Overflowing with the radiance of love, the happiness of going toward tomorrow  
>Is real<em>…

Xingke was in constant wonder of the little things his Empress appreciated. Small things made her excited, made her feel joy. Her excitement and vivacity at finally being able to _live_ and to experience things made him feel almost guilty. He'd been free his whole life- or most of it- yet failed to appreciate all that Tianzi did. He had just as much to be grateful for.

"Oh, Xingke, you'll come outside with me, won't you?" the Empress asked, her eyes wide and sparkling. She was in front of one of the large palace windows, excited to see snow finally falling. It had accumulated quickly- and there was a pure blanket on the surrounding grounds. "We _have _to celebrate the snow!" She cried. She leapt up and walked quickly towards the doors, but Xingke stopped her, a smile on his lips.

"Empress," he said, gently, kneeling down to her level. "You're not dressed warmly enough to be out in the snow," he chided softly. "You've got to keep yourself safe from the weather."

"If I put a coat on, you'll come with me, won't you?" she asked. Xingke nodded, and Tianzi skipped off to find a coat. Xingke followed suit, knowing that he'd have to dress warmly- his Empress was bound to remain out in the snow for the next several hours, and it would take a great deal of coaxing to bring her back inside.

Xingke had never been particularly fond of the winter. The cold weather left him feeling dead and empty inside. It brought back memories of his childhood that were less than pleasant. How could something so cold and unforgiving bring so much joy to his Empress? But, then, she'd lived trapped in this palace her whole life. She was shielded from everything, even the harshest of the elements. Her joy at the natural process of snowfall almost made him forget his pain entirely. She was changing him.

"Okay, let's go," Tianzi's soft voice purred. She grabbed Xingke's hand and began pulling him toward the door excitedly.

"You've got to button your coat, Empress," Xingke said, laughing lightly. He knelt down and began to do her buttons for her. "We want to keep you safe."

"It's only snow," Tianzi laughed. "I'll be alright."

"Taking extra precautions won't hurt," Xingke smiled as he buttoned her last button. He barely had time to stand before he was dragged out of the door.

The cold breeze nipped at his cheeks. The cold quickly set in, but he paid no attention to it, focusing instead on Tianzi. She was happily wandering through the pure blanket of unblemished snow, leaving small footprints behind. Occasionally, she would lay flat on her back, extend her limbs, and move them against the snow. When she stood, there was an angel left behind.

"Make a snow angel with me?" Tianzi asked Xingke after a couple of her own. She grabbed his hand, and led him to an area of untouched snow. "Right here." Tianzi and Xingke lay on their backs right next to each other. Tianzi grabbed Xingke's hand. Her touch made him feel warmer in this weather than any coat could. "Our angels are best friends, just like us," she explained, as she began to move her limbs. Xingke followed suit. After several seconds, Tianzi was satisfied, and the two of them stood, admiring the impressions they'd left in the snow.

"Snow angels are fun!" Tianzi laughed. The two walked along, Tianzi content to kick at the snow, or catch an occasional flake on her tongue. Xingke couldn't help but notice that the winter atmosphere suited his Empress rather well. Her scarlet eyes stood out against the pale background of the snow. Her pale skin took on a pink hue, giving her a sort of warm glow. Her pale hair almost blended in with the snow completely. She was beautiful.

Xingke was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Tianzi give a loud sneeze. He realized they'd lost track of time. They'd been out in the snow for quite some time now, and Tianzi must be freezing- even if she didn't realize it herself.

"Empress," he said softly. The small child turned to face her guardian. "We should head back to the palace. It will be dark soon, and it will be easier for you to catch cold." Tianzi looked a little sad to leave the snow behind, but walked toward Xingke. Together they walked back toward the palace.

"Xingke," Tianzi said, breaking the silence. "Don't you like the snow?" She looked up at him, her eyes holding a deeper melancholy than usual.

"Of course," Xingke assured her, though it wasn't entirely true. "Whatever made you think that I didn't?"

"While we were outside, you just seemed… sad," Tianzi said. "I thought it might have had something to do with the snow."

"Snow hasn't always made me happy," Xingke confessed. "But being in it with you is alright. It makes me like it more than I did when I was a child."

"The snow reminds me of you a little," Tianzi said as they walked up the palace steps. She stopped in front of the door and faced Xingke. "Some people don't like it, because it's cold. But those people don't take the time to truly appreciate how wonderful it is, how wonderful it can make you feel. Snow is only here for a while, and you have to enjoy it while you can."

Xingke knew she was talking about his sickness. He'd tried to keep it from her for as long as possible, but she'd found out eventually. She'd handled it rather well, actually. It caused her to want to spend even more time with him, and he wasn't about to complain about that. He wasn't any surer of the time he had left than she was. If fate didn't allow him time enough to express how he really felt about his Empress when the time was right, then at least it gave him every possible moment he could have with her.

"And," Tianzi said, standing on her tiptoes, "Snow is my favorite." She kissed him on the cheek before she pulled the door to the palace open and skipped inside.

_You quietly relieve me,  
>Even of the sad memories that I have left… every day for love<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**I'm sorry I deserted this fic for a while! It's been a really long time, and honestly, I didn't expect it to receive any of the attention that it did! So I would sincerely like to express to all of you my thanks for sticking with this fic (and following\reviewing)! It really means quite a lot to me! And I didn't mean to leave this fic just sitting here for as long as I did. The first review I got on it (which wasn't really a review at all) kinda discouraged me a bit. And just so you know, songfics aren't banned. I've never found _anything_ on fanfiction that suggests that they are. So, write all the songfics you damn well please. I know I will C:

*mwah*


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